Things we’ve learned heading into Blues-Wild Game 5

Martin Hanzal needs to keep scoring

Bruce Boudreau called Hanzal's performance in Game 4 his best since joining the Wild, and we're inclined to agree. Hanzal scored his first goal of the playoffs, putting the Wild up 2-0 on a play that probably shouldn't have resulted in a goal. The Wild don't have a single, elite scorer that they can turn to in crucial situations, so getting big goals out of depth guys like Hanzal is going to be critical moving forward. Speaking of which …

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The Wild are still shutting down Vladimir Tarasenko

After scoring 39 goals during the regular season, Tarasenko has been held to just two assists in the playoffs. His scoring prowess has been snuffed out pretty thoroughly by Selke Trophy finalist Mikko Koivu and the Wild's defense. Take away Tarasenko's output and the Blues would have averaged just 1.77 goals per game during the regular season. If the Wild are going to push this series to seven games, keeping Tarasenko off his game will be critical.

Devan Dubnyk played like a Vezina Trophy finalist

Dubnyk looked like the goalie who was running away with the Vezina Trophy in January for the first time since the playoffs began, stopping all 24 shots in Game 4 he faced and coming up big on the penalty kill. The Wild did a good job at limiting prime scoring chances in front of the net, but Dubnyk came up big when it counted.

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Jake Allen is vulnerable

Remember when Jake Allen had an .895 save percentage? Well, now the Blues do, too. For all their talk of crowding the net and deflecting pucks on goal, Allen was remarkably easy to beat in Game 4. He allowed a seemingly harmless shot from the half-wall to find twine on Charlie Coyle's goal, then gave up a blocker-side wrister to Hanzal on what should have been a routine save from the faceoff circles. He may have been the story of the series so far, but whether it was a bad game or a sign of things to come, Allen has lost some of his playoff mystique.

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The Blues are frustrated

Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo laid a huge hit on Zach Parise with time expiring in Game 4, appearing to vent a bit of St. Louis' angst after being pretty thoroughly dominated for 60 minutes. That's the mark of a team that has been outshot heavily for three games, and didn't manage to pull even in shots on goal until they were trailing by two in Game 4. The Wild's situation may be tenuous, but the Blues are feeling the pressure.